The 1A Auto Advantage

The 1A Advantage is, simply, peace of mind. When choosing an auto parts website, please consider the following factors:

Family Owned: We've been selling auto parts for two generations. We love what we do and are committed to adding your family and friends to our community of valued customers.

Faceless Company: Many sites are owned by one large corporation, with a history of poor service. Before you buy, please check with a customer complaint site such as www.ripoffreport.com.

Expert auto repair videos to help customers install new parts: 1A Auto has created the largest collection of auto repair videos on the Internet with installation instructions that are specific to a car's make, model and year. Customers get the detailed information they need to fix their cars.

Generalized/Nonexistent Videos: Car parts companies often provide no installation guidance, or offer videos with only general instructions. Without detailed information, auto parts installation can be frustrating and inefficient.

Highest Bizrate Ratings: We are a BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence winner for eight years - the only aftermarket auto-parts website to win this award. We encourage you to check our Bizrate reviews.

No or Low Ratings: Many no longer participate in BizRate surveys because they can't match 1A Auto's quality. If they do participate, please click on the Bizrate logo to see how they score, then compare to 1A.

Consistent High Quality: Our trained engineers make sure that parts meet our strict quality standards. We have the best ratings in the industry for quality and low returns.

Whatever Part Is Available: They often drop-ship from multiple distributors and warehouses. They ship the cheapest part they can find regardless of quality.

Guaranteed Correct Part: We research each part to make certain it fits your car. Our research results go directly into our own proprietary parts database, which is constantly updated for accuracy. We guarantee it!

Hit-and-Miss Parts Database: Many use a third-party database to find the right part. These often have errors - which results in a part that does not fit your car.

Same Day Shipping, Guaranteed: We stock the parts we sell. 99% of in-stock orders received by 5 P.M. ship the same day. We maintain a warehouse on each coast, so you get the fastest possible delivery.

Days Later: Many outsource your order to a 3rd-party fulfillment company, typically adding up to 2 days to the delivery time. There's no guarantee when they will ship your order.

Truly Free Shipping: All ground shipping in the continental US is completely free.

Hidden Handling Fees: They offer free shipping only on large purchases or charge hidden "handling" fees.

Restocking Fees and You Pay Shipping: They claim to offer "no hassle returns," but then charge a 20% restocking fee when you attempt to return items. You pay the shipping costs on returned items.

Knowledgeable, USA-Based Support: Our customer service engineers are passionate about cars and must pass the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification as Parts Specialists. During business hours we answer 99% of inbound calls within a minute.

Outsourced Support: Many competitors' websites outsource their call centers to Asia or Eastern Europe. Customer service reps have no car parts knowledge and refer to short "scripts" written for them.

Availability Reports: The availability of each part is prominently displayed on our website. If a part that you need is out of stock, you can opt to be automatically notified when it comes back in stock.

Hit-and-Miss Part Availability: They often use drop-shippers, so they don't know stock availability in advance. After you order, you may get an email that says your part is back-ordered by weeks, or longer.

Lowest Return Rates: Despite having the most generous returns policy in the industry, our returns rate for fit, quality or damage is less than 1%, and continues to improve each year.

Many Returns: Most returns are due to parts that don't fit or are of inferior quality. Some competitors consider restocking fees as a major component of their revenue! They typically average a 10% returns rate.

Risky Security Practices: Some companies store your credit card information on their servers, where it's vulnerable to hacking. In addition, they may share your contact information with marketers or affiliated companies.